The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced a number of arrests and seizures by its operatives, including that of an Italy-bound woman, Nora Nnadi, who was allegedly caught with 100 wraps of heroin and two parcels of the same substance at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.

The spokesman for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday that Nnadi was arrested on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, during an outward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight to Florentine, Italy.

According to him, the drugs found on her were concealed in five containers of hair relaxer cream.

Also, on Thursday, August 12, 2021, operatives of the MMIA Command of the agency intercepted a United Kingdom-bound consignment of illicit drugs at the NAHCO export shed of the airport.

Further investigation revealed that the consignment contained 66.6kg of cannabis sativa; 1.6kg of heroin and 1.450kg of cocaine, with a combined weight of 69.65kg, all concealed in cosmetics packs.

Earlier, on Thursday August 5, narcotic officers on routine patrol intercepted another consignment of 25.8 kilograms of cocaine and cannabis concealed inside foodstuffs heading for London at the NAHCO export warehouse.

When the export package was opened and examined, 2.3kg of cocaine and 23.5kg of compressed cannabis were discovered inside, according to the statement.

During a patrol operation along the Akure-Owo Road, a team of operatives from the Owo Area Command of the agency equally intercepted a bus from Lagos passing through Owo and Ibilo, to Kogi State, on August 7. Recovered from the vehicle were six parcels of skunk weighing 3.6kg; 30 pinches of crack cocaine weighing 87grams; and six sachets of Arizona weighing 265grams. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the drug trafficking,

Babafemi said.

On Friday, August 13, 2021, the Benue State Command of the NDLEA arrested an interstate trafficker, Eze Ezenwanne on the Apir-Aliade Road, Makurdi, with 65.436 kilograms of diazepam tablets.

On the same day, a suspected fake soldier, Olamide Adeyemi, was arrested in Maiduguri, Borno State, with 650 grams of skunk, while a Nigerian Army ex-staff sergeant, Muffat Ekong, and one Frank Obamwonyi were arrested on Wednesday, August 11, with 286.3 kilograms of cannabis at Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State on their way to Enugu State.

The Chairman/Chief Executive, NDLEA, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers and men of the MMIA Command as well as their Ondo, Borno, Benue and Delta state counterparts for the huge seizures and arrests.

He charged them and other commands to sustain the current momentum, assuring them that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), recognised their efforts and would continue to motivate them to do more.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.